Scraper



H. c. FRENCH Dec. 31,* 1940.

SCRAPER' Filed Jan. 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l RNEY.

INVENTOK www... Q 1%@ @W AW scRAPER.

Filed Jan. 2s.-19s9 2 Sheets-SheetI 2 W ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 3l, 1940 UNITED siii'rla's riui'rizil'r orner.

. somma Henry C. French, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to The Heil Co., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wiscousin Application 4January 26, 1939, serial No. 252,922

, 5 Claims.

tion Serial' No. 150,232, filed June 25, 1937, it has, heretofore been proposed to provide an effective heavy duty dig and carry scraper comprising an 35 open ended load confining bowl mounted for transportation along the ground and having a front cutting blade, the bowl being movable to vary its elevation and havingl front and rear y movable load confining and ejecting aprons of which the movements may be independently effectedby hydraulic Jacks or rams controllable from a remote station. While this prior scraper assemblage has proven highly satisfactory and successful in actual commercial use, the hydraulic y control and power system is naturally quite com-l plicated and c ostly, especially when applied to smaller units which must be -manufactured and sold at relatively low prices in order to meet com` petition.

It is therefore a more specific object of myA present invention to provide an improved scraper unit of the above described general type,vwherein the various movable or'adjustable parts-may be `actuated by mechanism other than hydraulic 85 means, as for instance by cables or links.

Another specific object o i this invention is to provide an improved cable operated scraper assemblage which is simple and compact in construction, and which is moreover highly flexible o`in use.

A further speciiic object of the invention is to provide a rugged andl durable dig and carry scraper which is rapid in action, andvis adapted to be manipulated and maintained in operative condition by a novice. v

Still another specific object'v of the presentinvention is to provide a relatively inexpensive but highly eiiicient dirt moving assemblage.' having' various parts conveniently operable from a remote and common control statiomand which'is especially applicable to smaller size high speed units.

These and other specific' objects and advantages will be apparent from 'of the invention by virtue A clear conception of embodiments ofthe several features constituting 'my present invention, and of the mode of constructing and f utilizing a dig and carry scraper assemblage built in accordance with my improvement, may be had by, d referring to the drawings which accompany and". form a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through lll one of my improved Scrapers in the act of digging or loading theconiining bowl, slwing the blade in the cut, the rear apron retracted, and the front apron partially raised;

Fig. 2 isa fragmentary top view of the cable 16 system for effecting actuation of the aprons and for raising the bowl; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear view of a portion of the apron actuating cable mechanism;

Fig. '4 is 'a' fragmentary rear view of. a portion '30 of the bowl elevating cable mechanism? Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section through vthe scraper in the act of carrying or transporting av load, showing the bowl elevated, the rear apron retracted, and the front apron closed or 2o lowered to the extreme; and

Fig. 6 is ya similar sectional view of the as semblage. showing the same in the act of dump ing 'a load, with the bowl elevated, the front apron raised to the extreme, and the rear apron so moved forward to the extreme position.

In the present disclosure, the mechanism has 1 been shown rather diagrammatically for the sake of clearness, and flexible cables' coacting with simplified sheaves have been utilized for motion u transmission purposes, `but it is not the intention to unnecessarily restrict the scope or utility of this specific disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, mv improved dig o and carry scraper assemblage, as illustrated. com-l prises in general a 'rigid main frame 8 pivotally suspended at its front central portion upon' a.v transportable draftc'arrlage 8 vand having rearwardly extending laterally separated side arms l0 5 which are rigidly interconnected at their rear ends by a transverse beam Il; an open ended load coniiningbowl having a-bottom l2 provided with a front cutting blade I3. and being rigidlysuspended from the frame arms I0 by'means of 50 side walls i4; a rear apron' IB'normally forming a closure for the rear'end of the bowl and being movable between the side walls I4 and along the bowl bottom I2 by means of cable and sheavev mechanism coacting with springs I8 and arms u `during raising and lowering of' the bowl'.

I1, the latter being swingably suspended from the rear of the main frame 6 and pivotally attached to rear projections I6 formed integral with the apron I; a front apron I9 swlngably suspended from the bowl side walls I4 by means of coaxial pivots 26 and being movable toward and away from the blade I3 with the aid of the same cable and sheave system which is used to 'actuate the rear apron I5; an auxiliary frame 2| having its front end articulably attached to the rear lower part of the bowl by means of a transverse pivot pin 22 and its rear portion pivotally suspended upon rear carrier wheels 23; and independently operable and manipulable cable and sheave mechanism coacting with parallel rods 24 which are slidable in a bracket 25. rigidly attached to integral side portions 26 of the bowl and main frame 8, between the arms I1, to effect raising and lowering of the load confining bowl and blade I3.

The main frame 6 with its side arms I9, crossbeam II, rear portions 26, bracket 25, and bowl, is preferably formed of durable metal plate to providean integral rigid assemblage which is swingable about the axle of the draft carriage 9 so as to position the bowl bottom I2 and blade I3 either in the cut as shown in Fig. 1,-or elevated from the ground as in Figs. 5 and 6. The draft carriage 9 may be either the rear -position of a tractor, or a special mounting rig adapted for attachment to the tractor with a draw bar or otherwise, and the auxiliary frame 2| is likewise formed of durable metal plates and bars and is swingable about the axis of the rear wheels 23 The rear apronactuating arms I1 are4 swingably suspended from the main frame 8 by means of a pivot -21 and the springs I6 embrace guide rods 26 which are attached to a cross-head 29 and slidably engage tubes passing through the eniarged medial portion of the oscillatory pivot pin 22 which connects the auxiliary .frame 2| to the main frame 8. The cross-head 29 is connected to the medial portions of the arms I1 by means of a transverse pivot pin 30, and the springs I6 are of the compression type and react at their opposite ends against the cross-head 29 and pivot pin 22 respectively. The swinging extremities of the arms I1 are pivotally attached to the correspondnig rear apron projections I8 by pivot pins'3I, and the rear apron I5 is supportedv upon the bowl bottom I2 by rollers 32 and has a scraper blade 33 which rides along the bottom I2. In order to limit the upward swinging motion of the front apron I9 about the pivots V20, stops 34 may be provided, but these positive stops are not essential since, the upward swing of the front apron I9 is automatically limited by the position of the pivots 29, relative to the elevating rig. The aprons I5, I`9 are again formed of suitable metal plate, and the front apron has suspension arms 35 which are movable along the bowl Walls I4 and are engageable with the stops 34 as illustrated in Fig. 6. As previously indicated, the rods 24 of the bowl elevating mechanism,l are slidable in the frame bracket 25, and theupper ends of these rods 24 are rigidly united by a cross-bar 36 while their lower ends are rigidly connected by a cross-head 31 which is pivotally attached to the medial portion of the frame 2.| by a pivot pin 36. In order to compensate for or accommodate varying angularity of the rods 24, the portion of the bracket 25 in which these rods slide, must either be formed for slight rotative 0r angular displacement, or the through/openings must be formed to eliminate binding'.

The improved cable and sheave mechanism for actuating the front and rear aprons I9, I5, comprises a flexible cable 39 Which extends rearwardly from the winch or operating lever 1ocated at the common control station on the tractor, and after engaging a pair of guide sheaves -40, this cable coacts with a set of front apron so that when a pull is exerted on the cabl 39,

the sheaves 4I, 42 will be drawn toward each other to raise the apron I9, whereas release of the pull will permit this apron to drop by gravity. The rear guide sheave 43 is journaled in a bracket 48` secured to the main frame 8 and the cross-beam II is provided with a guide tube 49 through which the cable 39 extends. The lower sheaves 44 are journaled xedly upon the pivot pin 22, while the upper sheaves 45 are.carried by the cross-head 29, and the extreme end of the cable 39 is anchored to the pivot'l pin 22 by a fastener 50; so that a pull exerted upon the rear portion of the cable 39 will cause the cross-head 29 and sheaves 45 to approach the pin 22 and sheaves 44 and thus compress the springs I6,

to normal position.

'I'he improved cable and sheave mechanism for raising the bowl and scraper blade I3 away from the ground, comprises another independently operable flexible cable 5I `which also extends rearwardly from the operators station 'on the tractor and'initially engages guide sheaves 40 journaled in the adjustable brackets 46. As this cable 5I proceeds rearwardly, it first coacts with a guide sheave 52 carried by the bracket 41 and then with a guide .sheave 53 journaled in the bracket 48. The cable 5I thereafter passes through the tube 49 and beneath a fixed pulley or sheave 54 journaled on the pivot pin 22, and the cable 5I subsequently engages lower and upper sheaves 55, 56 in alternate series and iinally has its extreme end permanently attached to the 'as in Figs. 5 and 6, whereas release of the tenf sion or pull will cause the' bowl to descend by gravity and will thus separate the sheaves 55, 56, as in Fig. 1. A

'I'he winch or mechanism for exerting a pull on either of the cables 39, 5I is preferably located at thecontrol station on the propelling tractor, and is of well known construction. These cables 39, 5I are preferably formed of durable material and have sufficient flexibility to permit the same to properly engage and to remain in proper coaction with the several pulleys or sheaves,'and adequate guards for the cables and sheaves'would also be provided.

During normal operation of my present improved scraper assemblage, the cables 39, 5I are independently operable to actuate the aprons while the cable I i`s utilized only for controlling the lifting and lowering of the bowl and blade apron I5.

I 3,` the other cable 39 serves the dual purpose of controlling the raising and lowering of the front apron I9 and the movement of the rear shown in Fig. 1 with the bowl and blade I3 in the cut, the front apron I9 should be raised more or less so as to permit the dirt to enter the bowl over the blade I3 as the scraper is advanced along the ground. This raising of the front apron I9 may be effected by exerting an initial pull on the cable 39 lnsufilcient to bring the front apron arms 35 against the stops 34 and also insuflicient to exert a pull onv the cable beyond the sheave 43 sumcient to move the rear apron I5 forwardly. With4 such an initial pull exerted upon the cable 39, the sheaves 4I, 42 will be brought toward each other and the front apron I9 may be elevated against the action of gravity, to any desired position without disturbing the location of the rear apron I5; and when this initial pull is released, the front apron I9 will drop by gravity until it engages the blade I3 and thus prevents admission of more dirt while coniining the load within the bowl.

Such lowering oi' the front apron I9 to c onfine the 10aa within the bow1, should be effected when it becomes desirable to raisethe bowl and transport the load. In Fig. 5, the front apron I9 has been completely lowered to confine the load, and the bowl and blade I3 have been elevated away from the ground. This elevation is accomplished by exerting a pull on the cable 5I, and such a pull causes the sheaves 55, 59 to approach each other and thus causes the rods 29,

to pull the auxiliary frame 2i upwardly, thereby simultaneously swinging `the rear portion of the bowl and main frame upwardly. When the bowl is thus elevated, the load conned therein will move forwardly and will settle against the front apron I9 as yshown in Fig. 5, so that subsequent opening or raising of this apron will immediately result in discharge of at least a portion of the load by gravity alone.

In order to effect complete deliveryof the load, the front apron I9 should be elevated toits extreme height, andthe rear apron I5 should be moved forwardly within the bowl as illustrated inl Fig 6. Such movement of the aprons may be readily effected by exerting an initial pull upon the cable 39, suiiicient to elevate the arms '39 of the front apron i9 into engagement with the stops 34. By continuing the pull on the cable 39 after the movement of the apron I9 has been arrested, the portion of the cable 39 beyond .the guide sheave 93 will cause the sheaves 45 to approach the sheaves 44, thereby swinging the arms I1 downwardly and forwardly and at the saine time causing the rods 28 to slide downwardly through the -pivot 22 and compressing 'the springs I5. The downward and forward swinging of the arms I1 will obviously cause the apron I5 to move forwardly along the bowl bottom I2 and to simultaneously change its inclination relative to this bowl bottom. The load will thus be` positively ejected from within the'bowl and it is to be noted that the rollers 32 provide a movable support for the rear apron` I5, and that the scraper blade 39 insures complete removal of the load.

When the bowl has been thus cleared of malterial, the pull on the cable 39 may be released,

whereupon the compressed springs I 5 will become When the'parts are positioned as.

quickly eective to return the rear apron I5 to its normal position at the re'ar end of the bowl. Subsequent continued release of the pull on the cable '39 will obviously cause the front apron I9 to drop by. gravity, and if it becomes desirableto again return the blade I3 tocutting position, itis only necessary to release the tension on the cable 5I, whereupon the .bowl will drop by gravity and the sheaves 55, 59 will'agaln be supported to the position shown in Fig. l. All of these operations may obviously be eii'ected from the central point of controllocated upon the tractor vehicle and within easy reach of the driver who is normally seated upon the tractor. In the event that one of'the cables 39, 5I should break, they may be readily replaced by merely releasing the fasteners 50, 51 which normallyhold the ends of the cables. From the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that, 'my present invention provides an iiproved scraper assemblage which is rela tively simple, compact and durable in construction and which isv conveniently manipulable to cause the same toproperly perform its various y Since it is always desirable to ele- `2'5 cpntinue when the pivots 2li and the sheaves 4i,

152 are brought into direct alinement with each other. While the apron I9 and the bowl are elevated4 by direct pull upon their respective cables 99, 5i, these elements descend by gravity, and it has alsoA been found that the springs i 6 will quick-V ly return the rear apron to normal position upon release of the pull on the cable :39. The improved scraperv can obviously be manufactured at moderate. cost and is adapted to be manipulated and maintained in` operative condition by a novice. m

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this .invention to the exact details ofconstruction or Ato the precise modeof operation, herein shown and described, for various modiilcations within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: 1. In a scraper, a transportable bowlhaving a scraping blade, a rear apron movable within said bowl toward and away from said blade, an arm moving the latter, a cable for swinging said arm, and a helical spring compressible directly by said arm during cable movement of said apron in one direction and being operable to move the arm and apron' in the opposite direction upon release of said cable.

pivotally attached to said bowl and apron for 2. In a scraper, a transportable bowl having a front scraping blade, a rear apron movable within said bowl toward and away from said blade,

rollers supportingsaid apron for movement relative to said bowl. an Yarm pivotally attached at its opposite ends to said bowl and apron respectively, .a cable for swinging said arm to move said apron toward said blade, and a helical spring` compressible -directly by said arm during cable movement of said arm and apron and being operable to move-these parts in the opposite direction upon release of said cable.

3.- In a scraper, a transportable bowl having a front scraping blade, a rear apron movable with-r insaid bowl toward and away from said blade, an

- arm pivotally attached at its opposite ends to said bowl land apron respectively, sheaves carried by said bowl and said arm, a cable coacting with said sheaves. to move the same toward each other and thereby move said arm and apron in one direction, and a spring compressible by movement of said sheaves toward each other and being operable to move said arm and apron in the opposite direction.

4. In a scraper, a transportable bowl having a front scraping blade, a rear apron movable Within said bowl toward and away from said blade, an

arm pivotally attached at its opposite ends to said bowl and apron respectively, sheaves carried by said bowl and said arm, aV cable coacting with said sheaves to move the same toward each other and thereby move said arm and apron in one direcbowl and apron respectively, sheaves carried by said bowl and said arm, a cable coacting with said sheaves to move the same toward each other and thereby move said arm and apron in one direction. a guide rod for causing said sheaves to move along a deilniteA path, and a spring embracing said rod and coacting with said arm -to move said arm and apron in the opposite direction.

HENRY C. FRENCH( 

